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Red Sox right-hander Tim Wakefield woke up feeling a little better on Sunday and his limp was less noticeable. The next step toward recovery from recurring back pain will be a cortisone shot on Monday, something the veteran knuckleballer hopes will enable him to reclaim his spot in the rotation in about a week.


Wakefield doesn’t plan on another six-week disabled-list stint, something that happened last time when the back problem turned into a nerve issue that caused weakness in his left leg.
“We’ll go from there and see if it takes, and if so, I’ll be pitching in a week or so and be back,” said Wakefield.

Click here to read the full article – By Ian Browne of MLB.com

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If Josh Beckett’s past two starts have proved nothing else, it’s that the Red Sox’s ace is human after all.


The numbers weren’t pretty — quite horrid, actually — for the Boston right-hander in the pair of outings. Among the ghastly figures: 13 1/3 innings pitched, 18 hits, 15 runs (all earned) and eight home runs, five of which came in Sunday’s eight-run shellacking against the Yankees to set a new career high.

“Obviously, you tend to remember these [games],” Beckett said late Sunday night. “These are humbling deals. That was a whooping I got today. Those are the only words I’ve got to sum it up.”


Click here to read the full article – By John Barone of MLB.com

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The record has stood for 36 years, and before that it lasted for 61 — a testament to the coziness of Fenway Park and the long-standing power of the Boston Red Sox.


But Jacoby Ellsbury is a different kind of Red Sox player. The 25-year-old center fielder, who has brought the dimension of speed to the usually unspeedy Red Sox, is about to become the team’s all-time biggest single-season thief. With 53 stolen bases, he is one shy of the record of 54 set by Tommy Harper in 1973.

Ellsbury just missed the mark last season, stealing 50 bases in his first full season in the Major Leagues. In between Harper and Ellsbury on Boston’s list of single-season stolen base leaders is Tris Speaker, who swiped 52 bases in 1912 — Fenway Park’s first season.


Click here to read the full article – By Bobbie Dittmeier of MLB.com

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In a move that had been expected for the past few days, former Cy Young Award winner John Smoltz was officially released by the Boston Red Sox on Monday.

Smoltz, who was 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA in a disappointing stint with the Red Sox this season, was designated for assignment by the club on Aug. 7. He will clear unconditional waivers on Wednesday at which point the 42-year-old right-hander will be able to negotiate with other teams.

Smoltz spent the first 20 years of his likely Hall of Fame career with the Atlanta Braves, for whom he won 210 games and saved 154 more


Click here to read the full article – By Lisa Winston of MLB.com

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Whether he is ready or not, the glare that always accompanies a Red Sox-Yankees matchup is about to shine right in the direction of John Smoltz.

Much of Smoltz’s legacy has been built on his performances in marquee matchups, as evidenced by his 15-4 record in the postseason.

But that resume was built at a different time, when Smoltz wasn’t 42 years old and on the mend from his first right shoulder surgery.

So now, Smoltz is on a quest to prove himself again, and it starts with his first taste of the rivalry. And Smoltz is in a big spot, with the Red Sox trailing the Yankees by 2 1/2 games in the American League East, and not wanting that deficit to extend any more

Click here to read the full article – By Ian Browne of MLB.com

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J.D. Drew’s strained left groin had improved just enough for the right fielder to return to the lineup on Sunday after missing the first two games of this three-game series.

But Drew, though he made a big impact in his one at-bat, didn’t last long. The left-handed hitter smashed a three-run double to the gap in right-center and did not look well running the bases. He then had to score from second on a single by Mike Lowell and was hobbling even worse. When the Red Sox took the field in the bottom of the first, Rocco Baldelli replaced Drew in right field.

Click here to read the full article – By Ian Browne of MLB.com

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Mike Lowell will not be an everyday player for the remainder of this season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t contribute down the stretch.

When it comes to the third baseman, who will start at his regular position in Thursday’s series finale against the A’s, one day after serving as the Red Sox’s designated hitter, manager Terry Francona hopes less playing time will lead to more production. In six games following the arrival of first baseman Adam LaRoche, who allows Francona to play Kevin Youkilis at third base in Lowell’s absence, the 12-year veteran has received two days off — on Sunday and Monday — to rest his surgically repaired right hip.

Click here to read the full article – By John Barone of MLB.com

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He waited 15 years, Jim Rice did, and then his entire baseball legacy changed with one phone call. That was more than six months ago, the day the slugger who played his entire career (1974-89) for the Boston Red Sox learned that he was at last a Hall of Famer.

Sunday, however, is the day. That is when Rice will stand on stage in Cooperstown, N.Y., and give his induction speech as a member of the greatest team he’s ever been on.
It is a moment Rice will savor — the culmination of a career of one of the most fearsome hitters of his generation. “You just cherish what you have,” Rice said. “You cherish that you’re in the Hall of Fame. You cherish that you’re in an elite category of guys that have played the game and have played the game one way — hard.”

Click here to read the full article – By Ian Browne of MLB.com

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Club has 10 days to make move with shortstop

It appears that Julio Lugo has played his last game for the Red Sox, as the shortstop — according to a report on WEEI.com — was designated for assignment on Friday. Lugo confirmed the transaction to the Boston Herald.”I gave it my best and unfortunately things didn’t work out,” Lugo told the newspaper. “This is the best for both parties. I wanted it to work out but it didn’t.”

Click here to read the full article – By Ian Browne of MLB.com

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Reigning American League MVP Dustin Pedroia will not participate in the 2009 All-Star Game on Tuesday night in St. Louis.

AL manager Joe Maddon replaced the Red Sox’s second baseman on the roster on Sunday with Rays first baseman Carlos Pena. Pedroia, who edged out Ian Kinsler of the Rangers in the fan vote for the starting slot at second base in a tight race, withdrew from the event due to a family situation.

Click here to read the full article – By John Barone of MLB.com

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